Dodger

I cheered enthusiastically as the curtain fell at the end of the final number, and again as the cast were led out for an encore by their teachers. It was a full house in the auditorium, with an appreciative and lively audience made up of friends, family, teachers, and students. Don had driven Daniel and I back to the school that evening, where we met Rory to watch the end of term musical. As a member of the school board of governors, Don was expected to be present for these occasions, even t

OK, Carlos, you've finally got me on board. I've been eyeing this story for quite a while, but with little free time, I've held back on taking the plunge, until now. It looks as if I've got a lot of catching up to do and I like to take my time reading a story, so I don't miss anything. Should be up to date by the end of the year, I guess. Good start, I already like CJ. I'll keep you up to date with my progress via the chapter comments.

This is a totally absorbing tale that will pull on your emotions and leave you longing for the next chapter. A despicable villain, a very likable hero and a happy ending to a well-written story. Say no more!

One of the best stories that I have read over the past year. A real rollercoaster ride that you won't want to get off. I went around for a second time. A great ending and a clever title. Well worth reading.

A great story, nicely written and well worth 122 chapters of anybody's time. I loved the characters and the storyline. I didn't want it to end. This wonderful story is a fitting tribute to very talented writer and a friend of everyone on this site. Skinnydragon's work will continue to inspire me.

Anything is possible!

Although Robbie is certain that Daniel isn't the least bit homophobic, he's not sure how he will react to him dating his best friend. He's convinced that this will be a problem when it comes to light, not just with Daniel, but with the rest of the family too.

Thank you for your review, I hope that you enjoy the rest of the story.

When I returned from the shower on Tuesday morning Daniel was half-dressed and in a panic. “Can I borrow a T-shirt from you? Mom hasn’t done my washing.” I suspected that it was more a case of him not putting his clothes in the washing basket, which he hardly ever did, but I didn’t mind. I told him to take his pick as he searched for a lost piece of homework, which had apparently gone missing from his desk. It was something that happened to him quite a lot, but unlike in the early days

Yeah, it's clear that Robbie has moved on a little then, and maybe some of those scars are healing. Is it Bieber or Trudeau who you are referring to? Although I suspect that both are capable of throwing a few toys from their prams if they don't get their own way. Thanks for the additional review droughtquake.

Thank you wenmale for another interesting review. Popular opinion seems to be that it's time for Robbie to man up and face the music. You point to his age and this is an important factor to keep in mind. I don't know if there are any figures but I don't think that even nowadays there are that many 15 year-old-boys out there who would be comfortable with outing themselves.

You're way too smart to be doing these reviews Tim, but I love them. You have of course hit the nail on the head and forced me into making a few tweaks to the next chapter to make it a little less predictable.

I agree that Daniel is the biggest obstacle standing in Robbie's path toward coming out. How his cousin will take this news remains to be seen, but I doubt if even the laid-back Daniel will be happy with it. Things will never be the same, that's for sure, but a lot will depend on how Daniel finds out.

Robbie is being held back, mainly by concerns over how his new family will react. Daniel, in particular, is a big worry because of his friendship with Nathan, who has told Robbie repeatedly that if his family finds out then they would find it difficult to spend any time alone. I think that Robbie now is ready to come out, but after finally getting his wicked way with his partner, he doesn't want to lose out on any future fun-time. I agree that Canada is not the worst country to be gay, although the story is set in 2010, a few years prior to Trudeau's government. Also, the small middle-class, conservative town where he lives is a far cry from the openly gay-friendly Toronto or even London. Similar to a lot of small towns in the states, there is still an underlying resentment in many of these places toward the liberal invasion and for gay teens, 'coming out' can still be a daunting prospect.

I couldn’t remember Alex ever talking to me before in homeroom. He wouldn’t normally waste his breath on anyone outside of his inner circle, but on Monday morning he made an exception. He called me a ‘fucking asshole’ on the way into class. I didn’t reply, knowing that later he would come looking for me. He wasn’t the type to take no for an answer and could be quite persuasive, even when he wasn’t using his fists. However, my mind was made up, and there was no way that I was going back to that h

Thank you for your review Butcher. Yes it seems as if Robbie will have his work cut out during the next few days and weeks if he is to keep everyone at bay and remain in the closet.

Thank you for your review nighthawke. I must have missed this one at the time, but I have made a promise to myself to reply to every review so it's better late than never, I suppose. I doubt if many boys in their position would have had the patience to play poker first that night, even if it was strip poker. I guess both boys had reason to believe that it was going to be over very quickly and in their favour. Robbie should have done his homework before believing Nathan when he said that he couldn't play.

Thank you for your review and sorry that it has taken so long to reply. I appreciate your interest in this story and reviews are always noted and I try to reply to each one. Let's hope that the boys are able to stay together as they certainly are well-matched. I hope that the story is able to live up to your expectations.

Thank you for your kind review. This was a bit of a steamy chapter following a fairly long build-up. I hope their relationship is able to grow in the way that you would like it to.

Thanks, Butcher, I appreciate your reviews. I agree that Robbie did well to keep Alex at bay for a while, but needs to be firm and avoid Alex's house on Friday. Rory would be a much better option for him.

Agreed, Alex is a user and pretty good at it too. Robbie has allowed him to take advantage of him in the past, thanks to some poor decision making of his own. We will see if he has been able to learn from those mistakes and send Alex packing or not.

Thank you for your review. You make some good points and you're almost certainly right about Daniel. When he finds out, he is going to be in a difficult position and will probably feel betrayed by both Robbie and Nathan. Daniel will be crucial for Robbie's success or failure.

Thanks for your review Parker. Always appreciated. Yeah, that was probably a good move by Robbie to distance himself from Alex, although it would have been easier for him to do this over the phone than to his face, and Alex is not one to give up easily.

You won't have to wait for long, the next chapter will be posted today. Thank you for your review.

I think that Robbie would be doing himself a big favour by coming out to Daniel before he finds out for himself.